Kenya blasts kill 5 in Somali district of Nairobi

An injured blast victim arrives in an ambulance at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi March 31, 2014. Ab explosion, in an area of Kenya's capital Nairobi that is popular with Somalis, killed six people and wounded several others on Monday, the National Disaster Operations Centre said. (Noor Khamis/Reuters)

Explosions in central Nairobi killed at least five people and injured several others, officials said Monday.

The explosions occurred in a neighbourhood known for its large Somali population, the National Disaster Operation Centre said on Twitter. Sometimes called Kenya's "Little Mogadishu," Eastleigh has seen several grenade attacks over the last year.

Five people were killed in one of the blasts, the agency said. Officials did not immediately say what caused the blasts.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said there were two blasts about 200 metres apart. One blast collapsed the first floor walls of a restaurant and appeared to be caused by a device larger than a grenade.

Peter Gakuye was bloodied and dusty from the blast's aftermath. He said he was at the front counter of a hotel called Sheraton — not related to the global chain — at around 7:30 p.m. when a blast went off outside. Dazed, he didn't share any other information.

Kenya has suffered from a long string of grenade attacks presumed to be thrown by Somali militant sympathizes. Officials also recently discovered a large, undetonated car bomb in the coastal city of Mombasa.